Analysis of balance ability in senior age related to quality of life indicators

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, physical balance indicators in relation to seniors’ quality of life indicators are analysed. The objective is to analyse balance in the holistic epistemological concept, when physical imbalances have an impact on emotional and social imbalances in ageing. Procedure: Analysed data were collected from 500 randomly chosen seniors, selected from all regions of the Czech Republic. Seniors were in the age of 65 years old and over; there were 234 males (mean: 74.5 SD ± 7.74) and 266 females (mean: 76.9 SD ± 7.23). Seniors participated voluntarily on the base of the fulfilment of the informed consent. Methods: Medical Anamnesis; Functional anthropological examination; Tinetti Balance Assessment Tool; RAND 36 Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Statistics: multivariate regression with reduction of dimensionality, method of orthogonal projection to latent structure. Results: Significant correlations between each of the 36 items of the test “SF-36" and the level of the Tinetti balance test were found. SF- 36 items are discussed, which have a positive or negative effect on the physical balance of seniors. In addition, anthropological and health factors were analysed, which were in significant correlation to the results of the Tinetti balance test. Conclusions: Physical balance in seniors 65+ is very closely and significantly related to the SF-36 items. Muscle mass, analysed health and anthropometric indicators have a significant impact on the results of the Tinetti balance test.